Campione 08

by Trials of the Devil Kings

  This young man was walking unsteadily with no strength in his steps.

  "This man?! ...What a coincidence. Returning here again after one year."

  Muttering softly, the monk approached the young man.

  Liliana went over to inquire about the situation.

  "Is he affiliated with this place? I've never seen him amongst the monks."

  "No, but he is related to the current conversation. He is the hopeless idiot mentioned just now. The method he used was to visit each of the nearby villages, and against every single female he encountered — even young girls and old ladies without exception — he would swing a wooden branch, saying that out of these hundred and seventy people, the one who dodged his strike must be Saint Raffaello. That is why we call him the hopeless idiot."

  Well, he did withdraw all attacks on contact. The fact that no one was hurt was rather laudable.

  Explaining this, the monk sighed.

  Liliana went "Huh?" with a shocked expression. Erica too, agreed that he was an idiot, for it was quite a surprise that such a dangerous man was not arrested by the police...

  However, it stood as fact that such an unbelievable method succeeded.

  Because she was — rather, precisely because she was the brilliantly talented Erica, such a ridiculous idea never occurred to her.

  "Hey, what is going on!? What on earth happened!?"

  The young man did not respond to the monk's questions.

  Instead, he fell over headlong, losing consciousness. The monk frantically hurried over and started examining the young man's body.

  Was injury or disease the cause? The conclusion was neither.

  The young man's stomach gave off an enormous rumble. Apparently he had fainted from hunger.

  "Scaring others for no reason just like before... Hmm? What, this wound is?"

  The monk's gaze focused on the upper body which had been undressed for examination. There was an enormous red-black scar where the right arm connected to the shoulder.

  It looked like the entire right arm had been amputated and welded back together —

  A strange and horrifying sight. An ominous feeling, as well as a mysterious and incredible scar.

  Part 3

  "Ah, so full now, I'm so grateful."

  The young man was wolfing food down with a delighted voice.

  In the modest kitchen of the monastery, plates on the workbenches were filled with hard bread local to the region of Tuscany.

  Then there were bottles of unlabeled red wine fermented in the village.

  Both were provided by the monks.

  "Then having expressed my thanks, it would be even more perfect if I could have some meat and vegetables here. For me, right now, carbohydrates are not really enough..."

  "Regrettably, today's food has all been consumed."

  The monk spoke casually unlike the way he was talking to Erica and Liliana earlier.

  "We've never gone out to buy other stuff, so give it up... By the way, where have you been and what have you been doing all this time? A year ago, after you found Saint Raffaello, you were clearly training under her for a while, but disappeared after a month."

  "Haha... That's it, so that's what I did, maybe."

  "This fellow never talks seriously, just like before! Respond seriously to me!"

  The monk started to get annoyed at the young man's stupid face.

  But the young man remained unfazed and calmly wiped his mouth with a napkin.

  "I am being serious in my own way. Well, let's put that aside for now, it's time to get going."

  "What?"

  "My first priority is to recover the state of my body. I will gladly express my thanks for your hospitality, someday... But first, I need to find some place better stocked in food."

  The young man got up and quickly left the kitchen.

  "So, I'll be going now, bye!"

  The young man's footsteps were as quick and light as the spring breeze.

  Calling out was not going to delay his departure. Erica and Liliana exchanged glances as they observed quietly.

  "Esteemed monk, we will also take our leave."

  "We will surely obtain Saint Raffaello's approval and return with the twin swords. When that time comes, please bestow the blessing upon us."

  The two knight inductees got up from the table and bid their respective farewells.

  Liliana rigidly adhering to preset forms, while Erica was as glamorous as a noblewoman. The monk smiled wryly as he prayed for their safety.

  "On the battlefield, only unparalleled speed is truly invincible. Taking action swiftly and never letting fortune slip by—such spirit and initiative is admirable. But that man is too much of a fool, but at the same time, someone extraordinary. Please take care."

  Those were the monk's final words as he saw the two girls off from the monastery.

  "Hey, wait up! Where on earth are you going?"

  Erica yelled at the young man who was hurrying on his way ahead.

  As he walked briskly along the dirt road in the countryside, his blonde hair was shaking side to side.

  "Umm... Sorry, who are you people again?"

  "I am Liliana Kranjcar, knight of the [Bronze Black Cross], this one here is Erica Blandelli of the [Copper Black Cross]."

  "Hmm, sounds a bit familiar, did I remember wrong?"

  The young man looked bewildered after Liliana announced their names.

  "There's some kind of familiar feeling."

  "We just met at the monastery. Standing next to the monk."

  "Oh, so that's why you look so familiar!"

  The young man looked very laid back, but did not seem to be lying.

  Could he really have forgotten faces he had met mere minutes ago?

  "I'm sorry, I'm someone who's not very good at remembering names and faces — that's what I believe. It's like those kinds of memories are sometimes there, sometimes not."

  "Why are you talking about yourself as if commenting on another person..."

  "Well, you know, it's surprisingly difficult for humans to look objectively at things related to themselves. So it's not a bad idea to practice this kind of thing."

  "Even so, for memories to become fuzzy after a mere five minutes, it is very problematic!"

  Liliana angered for the first time at the young man's lack of serious attitude.

  However, this kind of conversation was not going to lead to any progress.

  "You said you wanted more to eat, so where are you going exactly?"

  "Hmm, I still haven't figured that out yet."

  The young man complained about his hunger in response to Erica's nosy question.

  "In truth, I am actually quite poor, there's not too many coins left in my pockets."

  "Well, that was pretty much what I expected."

  Liliana whispered softly as she stared at his appearance.

  He had no belongings other than the t-shirt and the cotton shorts he was wearing, not even a bag. Besides, if he were flushed with cash, he would not have reached such a famished state in the first place.

  "So, I just thought of a perfect plan to get myself a full meal despite being penniless. Listen well, first I will wander around the area to find local residents and yell out names of single women."

  "...You know a lot of people in this neighborhood?"

  The young man standing before her seemed rather incompetent?

  Liliana questioned with eyes full of doubt.

  "No, I don't know anyone here, but it doesn't matter. Francesca, Gianna, whatever, just call out a random name. I will pretend... that I mistook them for someone I know and use the opportunity to strike up conversation, gradually get familiar and becoming more and more engaged. Once the time is ripe, when mouths are dry and stomachs are empty, I will gradually make my way into the home of this single lady, and sit down for a delicious meal."

  A perfect plan? How naive of this young man to conclude.

  Erica coughed deliberately before offering her
opinion.

  "In that case, there is an even faster method. If you wish, come together with us to a nearby restaurant — how about that?"

  Thus, the three of them sat down at a restaurant in the village.

  Soon after, their orders arrived and covered the table: pasta with tomato sauce, mushroom and cheese pizza, fried rabbit and beef, cow offal stew, a large bowl of salad, and a complete set of white wine, rosé wine, red wine and soda water.

  All this was essentially swept away by the blonde young man.

  Normally, someone who had fainted from hunger would eat something easily digestible to avoid straining the stomach.

  However, this young man wolfed down everything in huge mouthfuls whether it was cheese, meat, deep-fried, or alcohol. What an amazing digestive system. Back in the monastery's kitchen, it was already apparent from the way he casually cleared out the bread that was hard as rock (usually eaten with sauce or gravy).

  "Yes yes, now this is what I call being alive!"

  The young man smiled as he exclaimed.

  A cheerful and delightful smile, but also incredible in the way it felt like a monster's.

  "By the way, we still have not asked for your name yet, right?"

  Liliana's question made him pause in his conquest of food.

  "...Name?"

  "Yes, having been edified by Saint Raffaello, you must also be a knight, right? Next comes the most important question, that great person — the respected master who instructed you, could you tell us the location of her residence?"

  "Master? Residence?"

  "Yes, we must meet Saint Raffaello no matter what!"

  Liliana questioned with great intensity of emotion. What kind of answer was she going to receive?

  Erica shrugged sarcastically beside her.

  "Saint Raffaello... The name seems kind of familiar. Was this person really my master? Then what about my own name eh, name... name, hmm."

  The young man spoke rather intriguing words, and began to enter deep thought with a frown.

  "Please do not joke around. You cannot mean to say you have even forgotten your own name?"

  "Hmm, that does seem to be the case."

  The young man answered in earnest in response to Liliana's interrogation.

  "I think I've lost my memory. I can't recall my name or what I've been doing lately. What's this? My memories of what I did in this neighborhood are so vague."

  In the end, the restaurant conversation concluded with nothing achieved, except for treating the young man to a sumptuous meal.

  "Thank you all! May God be with you!"

  Thus, the young man shamelessly walked away.

  Treated to a meal by two twelve-year-old girls, that was all he expressed.

  It was now readily apparent why the monk had been repeating comments like "idiot" and "unbelievable fellow." His personality was way too shameless.

  "...Erica, you were uncharacteristically reticent just now, what is going on in your mind?"

  Outside the restaurant, the young man had departed with footsteps like the wind.

  Watching him leave, Liliana questioned Erica.

  "Oh? Lily noticed?"

  "Of course, you could not possibly let a caught fish go so easily without doing anything. Just now you hardly said a word, and when that man finished eating, all you did was watch, right?"

  Erica smiled in response to her childhood friend's accusation.

  As expected of my rival, she discerned my true intentions without fail.

  "Hey, do you still remember how I excused myself for a brief moment during the meal?"

  "Ah, did you do something bad during that time?"

  While the young man was focused entirely on eating, Erica had randomly excused herself at one point.

  "Based on the result, the answer is no. I was hiding far in the distance, casting the magic of [Sleeping Powder] on that glutton."

  Exactly as the name implied, this was magic for making someone fall asleep.

  Though very versatile in its wide-ranging applications, this magic had no effect if the target was wary in any way. Even ordinary people would recover swiftly after feeling sleepy.

  However, there should be no problem against someone delightfully stuffing his face in such a state.

  "In such an unwary state, he should have simply gone to sleep? I was thinking it would be acceptable as long as we obtain the information we need, even if it meant using hypnosis to rob his will. Given such a strange personality, getting things directly would be a lot faster than trying to have a serious conversation."

  "Flawlessly decisive and merciless as ever. But the plan failed."

  "Yes. It's still unclear, but he deflected my spell perfectly."

  "Counter magic or a protection barrier... which one was it?"

  "Completely unknown. However, the esteemed monk did say very clearly that he was 'a complete failure,' so he should have zero disposition towards magic. But for Erica Blandelli's spell to have no effect..."

  "Could the idiotic attitude be just an act?"

  "In that case, he must be a real sly old fox. He is serious trouble if he can hide things so well."

  Even at the tender age of twelve, Erica had great confidence in her ability to judge people.

  However, the encounter with the young man had shaken this confidence. The man judged as an "idiot" by the monk who should be highly experienced, having met so many knights.

  Erica could not believe the young man had the ability to "retract his talons like an eagle."

  On the other hand, he was able to foil Erica's plan despite her beliefs.

  "So Erica, how shall we obtain tangible information from him?"

  "Now it's your turn to shine, Lily. Didn't you master the [Witch's Eye] a month ago?"

  "You actually want me to track down that man using the [Witch's Eye]?"

  Of course. As Erica nodded, Lily looked up into the sky.

  "Using clairvoyance for the despicable act of following someone in secret?"

  "There are other vision-enhancing spells for long range recon... But none are as good as the Witch's Eye. Now is the perfect opportunity to make good use of it."

  Only those with a witch's disposition were able to use witchcraft.

  The Witch's Eye allowed one's sense of sight to travel afar and move around freely. Other lineages of magic also had similar spells but none of them could offer clairvoyance that moved as rapidly as the Witch's Eye. This spell was surprisingly useful for tailing someone.

  Erica borrowed a large basin from the restaurant and filled it with water.

  This restaurant and bar also had open air tables out front.

  That was where the two of them sat after setting down the borrowed basin. After sitting properly at the table, Liliana closed her eyes and released the Witch's Eye.

  Soon after, the young man's image appeared on the surface of the water in the basin.

  The man seemed to be casually chatting away with an older man with great enthusiasm. They seemed to have just met but they had their arms on each other's shoulder, and were so familiar that it seemed like they were longtime friends.

  The young man kept repeating certain words as if pleading for something. The man immediately laughed in response and motioned for him to follow.

  Then the two of them got in a car and left.

  "Lily, check out where they are going."

  A witch's clairvoyant [Witch's Eye] was even able to keep up with the speed of a car.

  Liliana had already anticipated such an order.

  "Understood. But how are we going to get there?"

  "Relax. I, Erica Blandelli, can't possibly fail to achieve the same task as that man, right?"

  Erica declared with immense pride.

  Part 4

  San Gimignano's streets dated all the way back to the Middle Ages and were classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  A total of fourteen towers had been built all over the town during the Middle Ages.

&nbs
p; Situated close to Florence, it was less than an hour away by car. The olden City of Flowers, Florence, and the Eternal City, Rome, were both important urban centers that brought exceptional prosperity to their surroundings.

  Nowadays, historical buildings were fully put to use as tourist attractions.

  And so, the self-proclaimed amnesiac young man hitchhiked his way to this town.

  "So Lily, let's find the guy immediately, you haven't lost his trail, right?"

  "Ah, no problem... That man suddenly got a lift. He should not be going sightseeing, so what is he doing exactly?"

  At the entrance to the town was the Porta San Giovanni.

  Built in the thirteenth century, these gates had great historical significance.

  Standing before this structure, the two knights were whispering to each other.

  Liliana had been keeping her eyes tightly shut all this time starting from the restaurant at the last village. When using the Witch's Eye, her own eyes must be kept closed.

  Erica skillfully guided and protected her childhood friend in this state as they went on their way.

  Following the young man's lead, she chanced upon an idle-looking older man and pleaded for a ride.

  (This kind of idle older men seemed to be unexpectedly common in the Italian countryside. As if on duty, these men would chat and flirt with young ladies on first sight regardless of whether they were local Italians or foreign tourists. Having a day job would be a hindrance to such activities.)

  Chatting amiably with the older man in the car helped add liveliness to the brief journey.

  Erica explained Liliana's closed-eye and silent condition with an excuse of "not feeling well."

  With that, Erica and Liliana easily followed in the young man's footsteps.

  "—What!? What on earth is that man trying to do!?"

  Liliana suddenly yelled out, opening her eyes that she had been keeping shut.

  "What is it, Lily? Something unusual happened?"

  "Ah, that man casually climbed to the top of a tower and was looking around... And suddenly, the Witch's Eye was nullified."

  "Counter magic? Or is it that [Fortune's Blessing] used by fairy doctors?"

  "Intuition tells me that it is neither. Very likely it is not regular magic... More like something used by fairies, demonic deities or the like. Something that felt like magical and spirit power. In the end, all I saw was the man lightly waving his right hand—"